Heating cable trial for winter temp control.

[RUFUS HOUND]

Alright peeps, Im setting up my new 120x60xa50cm tent for winter this year and what with the lecky prices,  Its only sensible to use as little as possibl3.

 

Ive got my little oil rad as back up but the hope is a heating cable is the way forward. 

so I bought a 6m 90W heating cable, unfortunately I didnt quite know what I was buying and got one with frost protection bugger   ive cut the frost "switch" off the end and bought a pack of solder sleeves to join the wires and seal it all up

[Gaijin]

Is this for laying in a sand floor or wrapping around the pots? Where are you putting the cable? Any way of cutting costs would be nice to know, thanks mate  

[Military Grade]

For pots I see you can get brewing heated belts on the Big River

[ratdog]

3 hours ago, RUFUS HOUND said:

6m 90W heating cable

 

 

fine for pot temps/roots, but you'll need something for the air temps

 

 

i used a 300 watt duct heater, but that's in a 1.2x1.2x2.2

[RUFUS HOUND]

1 hour ago, Gaijin said:

Is this for laying in a sand floor or wrapping around the pots? Where are you putting the cable? Any way of cutting costs would be nice to know, thanks mate  

yep, its for burying in sand - google heated sand bed.

[RUFUS HOUND]

1 hour ago, ratdog said:

 

 

fine for pot temps/roots, but you'll need something for the air temps

 

 

i used a 300 watt duct heater, but that's in a 1.2x1.2x2.2

I have an oil rad as back up if needed 

Edited October 24, 2022 by RUFUS HOUND

[RUFUS HOUND]

 @Gaijin to answer your question - you basically fill an insulated box with a layer of sharp sand, snake the cable back and forth on the surface and then cover that with more sand, any run off should keep the sand damp and help with the heat transfer/storage, the heating cable will be attached to my inkbird 308 with its probe in the sand or in a pot (not decided yet )

 

Helpfully my tent has a fabric tray made from one piece of  tent material - which means it should contain any run off and its all absorbed by the sand. 

I will try get it et up in the coming days, Im a bit all over the place as also converting the loft into a "room in roof " so its difficult to move about currently.

I have a pile of sharp sand at the ready, the tent made up just need to transfer my fan/ filter set up and my lights over and get it up to temp.

 

 

[RUFUS HOUND]

15 hours ago, ratdog said:

 

 

fine for pot temps/roots, but you'll need something for the air temps

 

 

i used a 300 watt duct heater, but that's in a 1.2x1.2x2.2

do you have a link to your duct heater , just for future reference  

[Gaijin]

@RUFUS HOUND Gotcha  

[MonkeyBlazed]

I would get a separate tray to fit the bottom. Handy for big leaks and easier to clean out.

[RUFUS HOUND]

@MonkeyBlazed Did think about it but then I noticed its tray made from a single sheet with no seams, so totally water proof unless I puncture it  plus I need a good 3 to 4 inch depth for the sand 

 

 

[ratdog]

6 hours ago, RUFUS HOUND said:

do you have a link to your duct heater , just for future reference  

 

 

https://www.ventilationland.co.uk/product/43813/electric-round-duct-heater-o100-0-3-kw.html

[RUFUS HOUND]

22 hours ago, Military Grade said:

For pots I see you can get brewing heated belts on the Big River

even get round ones that the demijohn/pot sit strait on but proper heat mats are cheaper 

[RUFUS HOUND]

Ive soldered and heat shrinked the heating cable where I removed the frost stat, it turned out quite neat job and more importantly it works  

 

[BilgePump]

Don't rely on the fabric tray that comes with yer tent bro , the mylar will blister under damp conditions and cease to be watertight in around a year , you'd be better off just stumping for a Titan tray from the outset.

 

A mate who runs in an outbuilding wraps his fab pots with soil warming cables, reckons its more effective than the traditional sand bed tech because it adds a little air heat too.